The most asked question after my last weeks blog Lombok & Gili Trawangan was: ‘Where are is the magic mushroom story?’ I knew it was going to be a hot topic, and as my Live video already got more than 5,000 views in just 2 days I could have figured out people would ask about it. So here it is… but before my mushroom trip I went on a far more adventurous trip up to one of the highest peaks in Indonesia: Mount Rinjani.

Climbing Mt. Rinjani

Last year I was in Lombok as well and took a trip to amazing waterfalls on the slopes of Mount Rinjani. The big mountain was looming large over the little village where I stayed that time and I told myself I will be back to climb this thing. A multi-day trek to Mount Rinjani is very popular as the views up there are outstanding and the crater Lake and active volcano are something unique to witness.

We took a local boat from Gili Trawangan to Bangsal for 17,500 ($1,5) but got screwed over as some people want tourists to take the 5 times more expensive tourist boat. We asked every boat that left if that was our boat and kept on being denied to board. I went back into the office and the guy told me with a sarcastic smile that I missed my boat. I am super laid-back and always chilled, but if you intentionally try to screw me over I change in an instance! I have been around in the travel industry long enough to know what was going on and I don’t care if it is for $1 or for $100. I snapped and hell broke lose; you messed with the wrong guy buddy! LOL. Luckily there are way more good than bad people in this country and a captain from another boat came to pick us up and offered us a seat! Legend…

It took a little longer but we made it back to Bangsal, Lombok where we got picked up by Jou Trekking Mount Rinjani, a young company that sponsored our 3d/2n trip up to the summit. We drove to Senaru a little village on the foot of Rinjani. We stayed in a nice mountain lodge and that same evening we were briefed about our multi day adventure: our route, porters, permits, gear, what to bring, etc. Basically we did not have anything but Jou provided everything! Lol. Check out his Facebook Page here: Jou Trekking Mount Rinjani.

Rachel decided to stay behind while Ruben and I were excited to go on an adventure the next morning. After validating our permits at the start of the trail we headed into our 3 day / 2 night adventure.

Trekking up to Mount Rinjani is a fabulous experience and the views and the nature are incredible. I have seen many landscapes but what I saw up there was something unique, I sometimes was wondering where I was. Canada? Hawaii? Switzerland? No I was in Indonesia! The contrast is so huge that it was hard to comprehend, wasn’t I island hopping in Indonesia on my flip-flops and in my boarder shorts? Read my full Mount Rinjnai trekking blog in this link and let me tell you the story behind the cool photos! ;)

I love my Pacsafe Venture backpack, I bring it on all my travels!

After our fantastic trip high up in the mountains we were invited to relax a couple days at Rinjani Lodge the perfect retreat on the footsteps of Mount Rinjani. With two infinity pools, amazing views over the mountains and views down the valley all the way to the ocean, the location of this resort is fantastic. Staying put here for 3 days was much needed as I could barely move, but the morning after we got back from the mountains we headed straight into the jungle to go to the Tiu Kelep Waterfalls, see photos below. Luckily those are only a 15 minutes walk from Rinjani Lodge; another reason to crash here! Check out Rinjani Lodge for their best deals and more amazing photos.

Back to the island for the Gili Trawangan mushrooms

In all those years traveling I now met so many people that wherever I go there is someone around from my previous trips. I constantly get the question if I am sometimes lonely and it makes me laugh. I have to force myself to say no to people and I am really sorry but I can not meet everyone constantly and the reasons are simple:

I have to produce content (yes I work a lot of hours to keep this blog running).

I don’t want to become an alcoholic (everyone wants to drink with me).

I don’t want to go out every night (imagine you go out every night for drinks, sounds fun, is not!)

I am not on a holiday like anyone else (traveling is my priority, spending money on alcohol is not).

I cant afford to go out every night. (spending money wisely is How I Afford To Travel)

Though there are exceptions and that is how my friend lured me to come back to Gili Trawangan for 1 night: the famous Gili Trawangan Magic Mushrooms! I had never tried these things and I felt like it was time. If you walk around at Gili Trawangan you will hear locals whispering ‘magic mushrooms’. Although it is just a simple mushroom it still is listed as a drug. So are mushrooms legal in Bali and around? Nope definitely not! So don’t tell everyone Traveltomtom told me to try magic mushrooms in Bali or Gili! Lol.

On social media I announced that I was going to try mushrooms and I promised to do a Facebook Live video about it. There are a couple ways to take the Gili Trawangan mushrooms. I opted for a pineapple shake, medium strength please! :) It looked disgusting and did not taste good either, but anyway it had to go down my throat. You can also order pizza and ask for an extra topping. ;) If you are curious where I got my mushroom shake from, send me a message somewhere on social media and I tell you exactly where to go.

It took like 30 minutes (advisable to take them in on an empty stomach for the best effect) and slowly the world started moving slower, the wind became more intense and things around me started to look more peaceful. It is hard to subscribe how this psychedelic works but the world becomes a better place. Trees looked greener, the sunset better than ever and I just felt like I was in a different world. It just started and I already felt like I was wandering in heaven.

The Gili Trawangan Magic Mushrooms

The drug took me through different stages one even better than the other. There were times when I saw amazing patterns in the sky, my vision got sharper and things that look completely normal looked fantastic suddenly. In another phase I just wanted to dance (choose the right music, then it is WOW!) and then another moment where I laid on the ground staring at the sky and was hoping this trip would never end, so happy. The ordered fruit shakes looked like they came from a fairytale, too perfect to drink but so extremely delicious. These mushrooms made me forget about everything what is going in life and only focus about what is happing at that exact moment. I enjoyed staring at the sunset so damn much, sipping my watermelon juice, like it was the best drink I ever had, or smiling at a random strangers like they were my best friends and last but not least, there were those moments I could not stop laughing out loud, everything I said made no sense, basically I was cracking up listening to myself. It all felt so great…

The trip lasted for about 4 hours and damn I loved these mushrooms so much. I have tried chemical drugs, but these Gili Trawangan mushrooms are simply a product of nature and therefore I never felt bad using it.

Important side note: I would never recommend anyone to start using drugs, although if you ask my opinion about it I will tell you that for me TRYING drugs was one of the best decisions I ever made. The word trying is very important to me as I am not depending on it to have fun, neither do I use regularly. Let it be something special guys, something you look forward to! In the last two years the times I tried something are only a hand full. Something special to you has way more value…

Thanks for keeping up with Traveltomtom, see you next week! Check out all my weekly adventures here!

Curious how I was able to go Live on Facebook? Buy a SIM card in Bali! Click on the link to find out what is the best sim card for tourists.

Again in case you missed it! Are mushrooms legal in Bali? NO! There are a dozen other reasons to visit Bali, click here to read them! Looking for a Bali On A Budget guide with prices and cost of living? I got that one for you too. Going to Seminyak? That is so 2012! Check out my blog about the hippest place in Bali now: Canggu Bali Guide.

Disclaimer: anything in this article related to drugs could be fiction, it is highly illegal!